movies

“May the Force be with you.” - Star Wars, 1977

The Amateur arrives as a well-intentioned but ultimately uneven addition to the espionage-thriller canon. Its intellectual pursuits and grounded character depiction provide a fresh perspective but are occasionally compromised by underutilized cast members, restrained action sequences, and narrative density that detract from expected pulse-pounding excitement. While Malek’s portrayal offers a uniquely introspective spy, The Amateur’s slow-burning approach may not satisfy those seeking outright thrills or gripping emotional stakes.

You may have seen this in the News: London premiere of movie with AI-generated script cancelled after backlash

After the premiere was canceled, the filmmakers decided to release it for free on YouTube. I was curious enough (and had a perfect repetitive task to do while it played) that I decided to give it a go.

The premise is that every word of the script was written by ChatGPT 4.0 with minimal input from the writer. In fact, the LLM is fully credited as the screenwriter. It's directed by Peter Luisi, a Swiss filmmaker of some moderate renown, whose previous quirky films have consistently received more positive than negative reviews. It is made with a decent budget and professional talent, and it could be a sign of things to come - it certainly portends to.

But is is any good?

First the good: It is surprisingly coherent, likely helped along by human input and editing. A scroll at the start of the film reads: "'Write a plot for a film where a screenwriter realizes he is less good than artificial intelligence' - This was our first prompt and only creative input as screenwriters. Based on that plot we asked chatGPT to generate characters, a step by step outline, and to write these scenes one by one. Not a single word was changed or rearranged. The only thing we were allowed to do was shorten." I don't really know what all that means, but it makes it sound like there was likely a lot of prompt engineering and human editing that happened to make the script we ended up with. The dialogue in the individual scenes is, unsurprisingly, fairly natural sounding - after all, that is really the LLM's wheelhouse.

Taken as a whole - that's where it starts to fall apart. Every scene, every dialogue, every conflict centers around lengthy and repetitive philosophizing around this central question. Whether at a cocktail party or in bed with his wife, or talking to the puck-shaped AI device, every line of dialogue concentrates on whether a machine can "truly" represent human emotions. It's as blunt and repetitive as being jumped in an alley by a little league team. It just hits you over the head repeatedly.

As if in answer to its own question, every conflict is contrived and resolved at the mechanical convenience of the plot. The screenwriter is initially resistant to using the device at all, but his producer insists and he is immediately onboard (apart from the lengthy and - as I mentioned - repetitive laments he offers about giving up his career to a machine. The screenwriter's wife leaves because he becomes too obsessed with the device, but ultimately takes him back in a dialogue that sounds like it was generated by an algorithm. Because it was.

The character's mentor dies abruptly, seemingly because the story needs an emotional beat and is done with him anyway. He only shows up a couple of times before, and the previous scenes are so unremarkable that I had to go back and remind myself who he was and if there was some allusion to an illness or accident (there is not). It's only 72 minutes, so it's telling that an entire character could be so unmemorable.

Unfortunately, the acting and the sound design are likewise robotic. I found myself wondering if the film was scored by a machine, too. This is the kind of fare you might expect from any low budget drama. On that note, it was not the worst film I've seen. This is the type of writing that could certainly compete with Hallmark romances and low-budget cop dramas. It hits all the beats (with some likely basic human intervention), and delivers a story that is adequate. Not good, mind you. Adequate.

There are strange plotholes, like after the success with the first script using the AI as an assistant, his producer asks him to submit a script written entirely by the device. That fundamentally makes no sense. If it is written entirely by the device, then what exactly is the producer asking him to do? Press the "go" button? The scene makes sense in an LLM-logic kind of way. It resembles an actual conflict if you squint and don't think about it for more than 2 seconds.

Like most of what LLMs and other generative algorithms creates, it is a fair approximation of human creativity. It outperforms half of the film school students hawking scripts in Hollywood, and indeed I think it is an omen of how films will be made (and already are). No need for studios to bother with writers for basic rewrites or to pay humans to churn out another low quality, background noise Netflix series. The central question of the film: can chatGPT make art? No. Obviously not. The film attempts to take itself seriously, but it is fundamentally drivel.

It is not good.

Saw this at the movies where they were playing this during the beginning trailers. Loved the message. I’ll be there. Gotta support our comedies!

Earlier this week, Sony Pictures Animation’s “KPop Demon Hunters” made Netflix history.

It became the first Netflix original film to reach a new viewing peak in its sixth week – a massive 26.3 million views, topping the previous week (25.8 million) and the week before that (24.2 million). In its sixth week it also became “the most popular Netflix animated film of all time,” according to the streaming giant.

Additionally, it was in the top 10 in all countries ranked and it should be entering the Netflix all-time top 10 in the next week or so. Plus, “Golden,” a song from its bop-filled soundtrack, returned to the #1 spot on the Billboard Global 200. All of this cemented the fact that “Kpop Demon Hunters” isn’t just a movie but a rare worldwide phenomenon.

TheWrap has learned that “KPop Demon Hunter” is about to expand into a number of related projects, including sequels and a live-action version.

The animated film, with English dialogue but set in Seoul, features a trio of K-pop singers whose infectious songs power their ability to battle hordes of demons. It has become a phenomenon boasting tens of millions of streams and whose songs have topped the charts. The show, which is aided by growing interest in Korean culture, has proven to be a draw for both adults and kids alike.

During the second quarter earnings call earlier this month, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos singled out “Kpop Demon Hunters” as “a phenomenal success out of the gate … And the fact that people are in love with this film and in love with the music from this film, that will keep it going for a long time. So we’re really thrilled. And now the next beat is, where does it go from here?”

If you’re also wondering what’s next for Rumi, Mira and Zoey, the members of girl group Huntr/x who juggle slaying fans with their infectious beats while also slaying demonic beasts, we’re here to illuminate the possible next steps.

Netflix is referring to the project as its “Frozen” or Disney Princesses franchise – a property that has tapped into the zeitgeist on an unprecedented level and one that the streamer plans to exploit across various channels and mediums, according to two people familiar with the company’s plans. Among the projects being bandied about at Netflix are a stage musical, live-action remake, series and, of course, a pair of sequels to round out a full-on “KPop Demon Hunters” film trilogy, a third person familiar with the situation told TheWrap. For their part, Netflix said that currently a live-action remake is not in discussion.

Additionally, much like “Frozen,” there is a short film being discussed to serve as “bridge content” between the mainline features, according to a fourth person familiar with the company’s plans. (“Frozen Fever” was released theatrically in 2015, in between “Frozen” in 2013 and “Frozen II” in 2019.)

The ambitious plans underscore the kind of rare project that is “KPop Demon Hunters,” which benefited from Netflix’s willingness to bet on original animation and the fact that Korean culture has been in the spotlight, resulting in Netflix moving quickly to capitalize on that momentum. Like “Frozen,” it was an initial underdog that broke into a cultural phenomenon, reminding us that surprises can still come out of nowhere.

Similar to Disney’s blockbuster film, Netflix is ramping up merchandising for “KPop Demon Hunters.” The products being sold on Netflix’s official store have been among the most popular this year, even if the company was caught flat-footed early with just a few items. Netflix plans to partner with a number of outside partners which will see “KPop Demon Hunters” flood local malls and big box stores, the fourth person said. South Korean electronics giant Samsung, which recently partnered with the movie for an ad for their Galaxy Z Fold 7 phone featuring the weirdo bird, with a lens array that mirrors the bird character’s multiple eyes, is keen to do more with “KPop Demon Hunters.”

And just like you couldn’t escape “Let It Go,” the KPop bangers that populate the “KPop Demon Hunters” soundtrack will be getting even more exposure, with breakout number “Golden” submitted for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards this year and possible live opportunities being explored, according to an individual with knowledge of the plans.

That’s another sneaky parallel to “Frozen,” which won the Best Animated Feature Oscar, with “KPop Demon Hunters” quietly becoming an early favorite at the Academy Awards.

If there is one snag to the streamer’s plans for aggressive “KPop Demon Hunters” expansion, it’s the fact that original directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans have yet to sign onto additional projects. And for Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation, it will be important to get the (directing) band back together before they go out on tour.

Regardless, Netflix owns all of the underlying rights to the IP, meaning the streamer can do whatever it wants with the title and its future – with or without Sony Pictures Animation, according to several people with knowledge of the situation. Those sources have all said Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation intend to work on the franchise together.

Underdogs overperform

What makes the success of “KPop Demon Hunters” even sweeter is that it was a project that was perpetually undervalued and discounted.

The movie was announced in 2021 as being in development at Sony Pictures Animation, the studio best known for “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (and its sequel) and the popular “Hotel Transylvania” franchise. At the time of its announcement, a release schedule was not immediately identified, but was later added to an ongoing partnership between Sony and Netflix. A year after the film was announced, Netflix registered the trademark for the movie and in 2023, in a Business Insider interview, Tom Rothman, chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, noted that “we’re making a big animated K-Pop musical” for the streaming platform.

In one way, it made sense – Netflix has partnered with Sony Pictures Animation on a number of projects, including Appelhans’ “Wish Dragon,” the Oscar-nominated “The Mitchells vs. the Machines,” Lin-Manuel Miranda’s animated musical “Vivo” and a number of upcoming projects, including Genndy Tartakovsky’s R-rated “Fixed” (out in August) and an animated “Ghostbusters” film.

When the project was brought to Netflix, the company snapped up the rights immediately.

Netflix scheduled the movie for June 20, directly up against Pixar’s “Elio,” a presumed box office hit. (It was not.) There was little fanfare to the release; there was no glossy “art of” book accompanying it, nothing to buy in the official Netflix online store, and the creative team skipped the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, which happened the week before it debuted on Netflix – and where Netflix had a typically oversized presence.

While there wasn’t a proper theatrical release, “KPop Demon Hunters” did appear in enough cinemas in New York and Los Angeles to qualify for the Oscars. It didn’t even have a traditional Hollywood premiere, with Netflix instead opting for a screening at its Tudum theater.

The film’s first week numbers were relatively modest, with just 9.2 million views, according to Netflix. But its second week jumped to 22.7 million, as did demand for merchandise. Netflix was so caught off guard by the desire for merchandise that they started reprinting products that were intended as crew gifts; the plush tiger available on the site right now was originally handed out to those who worked on the movie — and they didn’t have to pay $47.95. Netflix said on July 1 that several “KPop Demon Hunters” items on the Netflix Shop were among “the top five bestsellers of the year.” One of the top items? That tiger plush.

The power of surprise

When TheWrap spoke to Kang and Appelhans in early June, “KPop Demon Hunters” had yet to blossom into an internationally recognized juggernaut. At the time, Kang said that “all of the ingredients of the concept were living separately,” before coming together to form “KPop Demon Hunters.”

“I’ve always wanted to do a Korean project, something that showcased Korean culture and create it for the big feature animation space, because it’s something that we just haven’t seen,” Kang explained. Obviously Japanese animation is a huge deal and Disney-made projects like “Mulan” were steeped in Chinese history. “But I felt like I hadn’t seen anything Korean yet,” Kang said.

She started to think about the way that demons are “represented in Korean media,” which led to the “demon hunters” part of the equation.

The K-pop element, she said, was “the last thing to be added in.” She wanted the spectacle that K-pop brought with it, along with the songs (of course). “There was a space in the superhero area, where I felt like women were not really depicted the way that I wanted to see them,” Kang said. “I wanted to see women who are allowed to be silly and crass and make stupid faces and not be so pretty all the time and have their imperfections. Those are all the ingredients that just came together.”

And in a way, that hyper-specificity of “KPop Demon Hunters” is what made it so universal. Scroll through social media and you’ll see people not only doing dances to songs from the movie, but drawing characters and shipping their favorite love story (people are very upset about the loss of a certain character – we won’t give it away here in case you are not one of the 100 million Netflix views). And while it could have been a hit if the movie had been released theatrically, there’s something that the Netflix platform provides above all else – the chance to re-watch the movie again and again and again.

This harkens back to “Frozen,” which was a huge surprise for Walt Disney Animation Studios, who downplayed the movie’s musical elements and instead emphasized the lovable snowman Olaf. When the movie turned out to be a smash – and its Olaf plush was sold out everywhere – Disney began emphasizing the movie’s other elements and cashing in on its popularity. In the years since, we’ve had short films and streaming content and Christmas specials and theme park attractions. And so too will we be buried in an avalanche of “Kpop Demon Hunters” stuff.

It’s rare in an age where everything is pre-packaged and immensely diagrammed, especially in a place like Netflix which is built on numbers and powered by algorithms, for a genuine surprise to come along. “KPop Demon Hunters” has reminded Hollywood that breakouts are still possible. And once a hit has been established, rewriting history is just the beginning.

TL; DR:

• "Filmed for IMAX" means it was filmed on high-resolution digital cameras, then cropped to 1.90:1 for the digital IMAX release.
• "Shot with IMAX" means it was filmed using IMAX certified cameras; sometimes, but not always, on 15/70mm IMAX film.

Ultimately, this film pirouettes elegantly on the surface but stumbles where the narrative heart should beat strongest. It’s a cinematic recital that, while skillfully orchestrated, fails to hit the truly resonant notes expected from a story of vengeance and identity.

So I see this movie pop up on amazon that seems to be another remake of war of the worlds and its 2025 so I was like. mmmmm. Good basic story and I wonder how awesome the special effects will be. I should have known that if I had not heard anything about it that it must be bad. Super low budget and filmed in such a way you would think it was something they made during covid. Maybe it was and just finally got released or something. Anyway do not be fooled. Its just plaein aweful in almost every way imaginable. Its so strange as it has ice cube and eva longoria.